Marques Bolden Named a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidate

Duke freshman Marques Bolden was named one of 20 candidates for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award on Friday in announcement by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The award is in its third year recognizing the top center in Division I men’s college basketball.

Bolden was named Texas Mr. Basketball and an honorable mention Naismith Trophy All-American in 2016 after leading DeSoto High School to the Texas Class 6A state title with averages of 23.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. He was a McDonald’s All-American and a Jordan Brand Classic participant following his final prep season.

The DeSoto, Texas, native played on the U.S. team that defeated the World Select squad at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit.

The Abdul-Jabbar Award committee will narrow its watch list to 10 players by mid-February and a list of five finalists will be announced in March. The winner of the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show in Los Angeles on April 7.

For more information on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, visit hoophallawards.com.